If you don’t feel ready to start an online store, don’t worry. A whole heckuva lot of people are exactly the same way. But here’s the thing: you need to do it anyway. Because there will never be a perfect time, and you may never, ever, EVER feel ready to do it.
Natalie Johnson knows something about not feeling ready. In fact, when I invited her to come on the How to Sell Online podcast, she very nearly turned me down because…you guessed it…she didn’t feel like she was ready for that kind of appearance. All despite the fact that she’s shipped over 8,300 orders from her store—and done it all without a significant social media presence.
Not the First Business She’s Helped Grow
Her business, Ivory Homestead, isn’t the first company she helped grow. She worked with her husband as he launched his business, at first grimacing (or worse) every time the phone rang. This mom of 6 was incredibly shy, and the idea of talking with customers—even happy ones—was difficult for her.
Once she stepped away from her husband’s company, she was surprised to learn that she missed some of the aspects of business. She also wanted to find a way to use her creative side while getting the fulfillment of doing it on a larger scale. I’m pleased to say that she was an early student of the 0-$100K System—she joined in 2017.
When she decided to start an online store, she chose the name Swaddling Babes. She initially offered swaddling blankets, as it was a product that reflected her own experience as a mom. (With six kids, she knew a lot about using swaddling as a way to keep babies warm and feeling comforted!) She expanded her inventory to offer bibs and car seat covers—even designing some of the patterns herself. Those bibs were especially popular with Natalie’s customers; she sold and shipped more than she can even recall. And looking back, she thinks that she should have stayed in that lane.
Pivoting in Her Online Business
But when her products stalled, she decided to pivot away from them and into something completely different. She used a DBA (doing business as) to make the shift, choosing the name Ivory Homestead for her new shop.
Natalie began to sell products from nearly every category. She sold washy tape, pillow covers, pencil bags—anything she could confirm was trending. She also learned incredibly valuable lessons during that time. One of the biggest was the importance of getting samples of products to verify quality, along with only selling a product that you would be comfortable handing a customer while you were standing face-to-face with them. Unfortunately, she learned that lesson the hard way, but has since ensured that quality is one of the pillars her business is known for.
One thing that may surprise you is that Ivory Homestead currently has a single selling season…and it’s not one that everyone would think of. Natalie sells customized Easter baskets and her main selling season tails (pun intended) off in late spring.
Looking for Further Growth Opportunities
While she’s hoping to look for other ways to expand her selling opportunities, she loves being able to be fully present with her family for most of the year. Plus, as she’s now hired a team of workers, she’s freer to focus on her husband and children even during the months she’s the busiest.
Natalie took another brave step recently when she decided to apply to become a supplier on a major wholesaler site. Again, she didn’t feel ready but decided to try anyway. And guess what? She was accepted!!! Even though they had requirements her online shop didn’t meet, she was able to find ways to overcome the challenges that she was presented by thinking out of the box.
Learning about Natalie’s experience and journey is so interesting, and she has such good tidbits of advice and knowledge to share. My Top 10 Takeaways from this episode follow.
Top 10 Takeaways
- You’re never going to feel ready; stop waiting and just get going.
- Take reflection time; look how far you’ve come.
- Use a DBA to make pivots in your business.
- Get samples to make sure you’re selling quality products.
- Would you feel proud handing your product to your customer face to face?
- Try new things and get messy to find best sellers.
- Put more offers out there.
- Build a business around your schedule.
- Instead of saying “no” right away, look at what you CAN do.
- Lean into your business to become more confident working with people.
Additional Resources
About Natalie Johnson
Natalie is a mom of six kids and wife of “The Man Awesome.” She is committed to her family, faith and community. Natalie’s first taste of entrepreneurship was selling lemonade as a kid with her four younger sisters and making $100 in three days! As an adult, she supported her husband’s endeavor to start his own company and managed the office, handling customer care, scheduling, billing and accounting. This took her out of her comfort zone, gave her insights into her strengths, and developed a lasting love for business.
Over time, she was able to step away from her husband’s company and refocus her time with their six children. Although this was a needed change and a great blessing, it left her longing to build something all her own. She was delighted when she learned that selling online allowed her to fulfill that need while also letting her balance a packed family and middle school runner coaching schedule. That's when she decided to start an online store.
Natalie joined the 0-$100K System in 2017 and has learned that persistence and integrity paired with knowledge and action lead to success. She is the proud owner of Ivory Homestead.
Shop Ivory Homestead
- Website: IvoryHomestead.com
- Follow on Instagram: @ivoryhomestead
- Follow on Facebook: @ivoryhomestead
Connect with Alison:
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- On Facebook: @alisonjprince
- On Instagram: @alisonjprince
- Learn about the 0-$100K System and how you can launch and grow your own online business here.
- Join the Print Sprint here.
Want to hear more about pivoting in an online business? Check out this podcast episode: 3 Reasons to Pivot in Your Online Business
